Call to Action- Need for Universal Advanced Hemorrhage Control
Legislation Needed to Put Bleeding Control Kits Next to AEDs

December 04, 2014 11:04 AM Eastern Daylight Time

WASHINGTON--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Stop the Bleeding Coalition (SBC), a non-profit Washington, D.C.-based
organization made up of over 40 groups and individuals focused on saving
lives, hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill today to call attention for the
need of universal advanced bleeding control kits to be place alongside
Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) in public places like schools
and shopping centers.

“Law enforcement have improved their tactics in responding to
and controlling these events, but there remains an urgent need to
improve on-the-scene medical treatment of the victims of these senseless
attacks.”

The briefing called “The High Risk of Low Survivability – Stop the
Bleeding & Save Lives in a Mass Casualty Incident,” focused on
the need for national legislation to help address the training, medical
preparedness and planning in the event of a mass casualty incident and
bleeding control.

“Events involving active shooters resulting in mass casualties have been
on the rise in the U.S. since 2008,” said Coalition Co-chairman Liz
Powell. “Law enforcement have improved their tactics in responding to
and controlling these events, but there remains an urgent need to
improve on-the-scene medical treatment of the victims of these senseless
attacks.”

"In an active shooter situation, it takes time to get law enforcement
and EMS into the scene,” says Dr. Alex Eastman, Interim Chief of Trauma,
Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas and Lieutenant/Deputy
Medical Director of the Dallas Police Department. “In cases like this,
an injured person can bleed out in a manner of minutes. While first
responders are working nationwide to make their provision of hemorrhage
control more rapid and seamless, having readily-accessible bleeding
control kits in places where people gather will help save lives.”

Just as on-site AEDs are readily available to help save lives during
cardiac arrest, the same level of preparedness needs to be available to
help control bleeding until additional medical personnel can arrive,
according to the SBC.

About Stop the Bleeding Coalition

The mission of the Stop the Bleeding Coalition is to show how quick
access to life-saving, easy-to-use Bleeding Control Kits can save lives.
Whether law enforcement, a layperson, or teacher in a school, one can
administer immediate simple medical care to victims that stops
hemorrhage with Bleeding Control Kits. The goals of SBC are to educate
how immediate hemorrhage control can save lives, raise awareness among
government, law enforcement, and public health officials and to promote
legislation to help ensure law enforcement, schools, stadiums, malls and
large-scale events have on-site Bleeding Control Kits and training to
ensure the proper use of these tools in order to save lives.